Parliament can protect liberty
- Reasoning
- MPs rejected detention without charge for 90 days.
- Evidence
- The government lost by 322 to 291.
- How it supports the argument
- 49 Labour MPs rebelled.
ApprovedConcludedEvent
Title
The Commons defeats 90 days' detention (2005)
Date
9 November 2005
Relevant topic(s)
Democracy and participationRightsThe constitutionHow the constitution has changed since 1997
What happened?
After the July 2005 London bombings, Tony Blair's government proposed that terror suspects could be held for up to 90 days before being charged.
On 9 November 2005 the Commons rejected the plan, Blair's first Commons defeat as Prime Minister, and MPs instead doubled the limit to 28 days.
- The Commons rejected 90 days' detention without charge by 322 votes to 291, a government defeat by 31 votes.
- 49 Labour MPs refused to back the measure, inflicting Blair's first Commons defeat in more than eight years as Prime Minister.
- Labour backbenchers forced the limit down to 28 days, double the existing 14.
- Blair said: 'Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing.'
Why is it politically significant?
The vote shows Parliament, and backbench rebels in the governing party, protecting civil liberties against a government with a large majority.
How to use
Which arguments does it support?
Which counterarguments exist?
Limits of the evidence
Parliament still extended detention
MPs agreed to 28 days, double the previous limit.
Concepts and connections
Concepts it illustrates
Sources and verification
Event9 November 2005
Added to bank11 November 2026
Last checked11 November 2026
Next check due11 May 2027
- 1Opened
- 2Opened
About this example
Is it still current?
Concluded
The development has ended or been reversed, but remains useful evidence.
Why it is in the bank
The key example of the Commons protecting liberty.
- ✓Relevance to the specification
- ✓Strength and reliability of the evidence
- ✓Importance to a wider political debate
- ✓Usefulness in evaluative essays
- ✓Connections to other topics
- ✓Sufficiently current
- ✓Adds something new to the bank
Editorial status
Approved
Signed off for students.
Origin: AI draft (Claude) · Reviewer: Editor
Every fact on this page has been checked against original sources.